A cold front will continue to usher in cooler air today, with temperatures steady or slowly falling through the day. Rain will return to most areas later this morning into the afternoon. A wintry mix will be possible late this afternoon, especially across northwest Missouri. Little to no snowfall accumulation is expected. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Rain showers before 5 p.m., then rain likely, possibly mixed with snow showers. Temperature falling to around 36 by 5 p.m. Breezy, with a west wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Tonight: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10 p.m., then a chance of snow showers between 10 p.m. and midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Blustery, with a northwest wind 14 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. West northwest wind around 6 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 46. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 55.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Columba Herrera worked to pay tuition for college courses she took while at Topeka West High School. A proposal from the Brownback administration would cover tuition for college classes taken by high school students. CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
ByCELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN
When 18-year-old Columba Herrera walks across the graduation stage this May, she’ll leave Topeka Public Schools with two things — a high school diploma and the beginnings of her college transcript.
Herrera will have a semester’s worth of college credit — courses offered at Topeka West High School in conjunction with Washburn University.
Each freshman-level college class that the aspiring computer science major knocks out of the way while in high school gets her closer to her goal.
“That way,” she said, “I can actually get into the classes that are specific for my major.”
Herrera paid for those classes by working at a hospital. Even with the discount Topeka West students enjoy, Washburn tuition costs $141 per credit hour. At that rate, 15 credit hours — a typical semester — adds up to $2,115.
For future students, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer wants the state to pick up the tab. He is calling for 15 credit hours of free college classes for high-school students who want them.
That would expand a 2012 program that already lets Kansas high school students study at technical colleges on the state’s dime.
“Those kids that take dual-credit hours, they’re more likely to attend college,” Colyer said Friday. “Helping them get launched is really important.”
Colyer — the front-runner in fundraising for the governor’s race — threw his weight behind the agenda of Kansas’ state education agency.
Among the board’s goals is easing the jump from high school to higher education.
“This will contribute greatly to Kansas meeting its post-secondary goals,” education commissioner Randy Watson said in an email about the proposal.
State education officials broadly want more Kansans to get something beyond a high school diploma — in large part to ready them for a changing job market. The state lags behind its own goals on that front.
So to speed that progress, there’s a push to start that post-high school work in high school. The Brownback/Colyer plan shoots for 75 percent of high school students pursuing post-secondary studies by 2023.
About 44 percent of the class of 2015 did.
Blake Flanders, president of the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees state universities, said higher education officials believe increasing dual-enrollment could remove barriers to college for students whose parents didn’t attend. Likewise, it could build confidence for students who doubt their academic abilities.
“Some students may not believe college is in their future,” Flanders said, “Then they take a course in high school. They’re successful. And see that they can actually do it.”
Success of the program would depend on long-term funding, expanding course offerings and making sure high school students who enroll are ready to tackle college-level work.
“What we’ve seen is more of a rough outline,” Flanders said. “We want to learn more.”
Educators are concerned that five years after its inception, the existing 2012 initiative that grants tuition-free access to technical colleges is underfunded by several million dollars a year. That development reflects the state’s revenue woes of recent years, which hit as the number of high school students participating tripled to more than 11,000 this year.
It’s unclear how much the college credit proposal would cost because it’s unknown how many students would take the state up on its offer.
Access to dual-credit classes varies by school. Topeka West gradually built up to the 47 credit hours now available to its students. Doing so required faculty with advanced credentials and approval for teaching each course to college-level specifications.
“I’d be a little curious about what plans there are to help with credentials for teachers to be able to do that,” Topeka West principal Dustin Dick said.
But if logistics can be resolved and the Kansas Legislature proceeds, Dick is convinced more of his students will sign up for dual-credit. Topeka West students clocked 314 credit hours last semester alone — $44,274 in tuition.
Herrera, the Topeka West senior, hopes students like her younger sister, Kate, can dodge the tuition fees she faced. Columba Herrera had to work a job 20 hours a week on top of her course work. If tuition were free, she said, students could just focus on their studies.
“Not only would it benefit them financially,” she said. “I feel like it would also not stress them out as much.”
The 17th Annual Super Science Saturday will offer hands-on experiences for students to learn about math and science.
St. Joseph Museums Public Relations Officer Kathy Reno said something new this year will be the opportunity to make an unusual non-Newtonian fluid called “oobleck.”
“There’s going to teach the students how to make it and they’re going to teach the children the chemistry behind it,” Reno said. “This came about in such a fun way. There are four Central High School senior students and they’re working on their International Baccalaureate Diploma. As part of that, they have to show community service in a creative way, so this is a project they pitched to us and we thought it was a terrific idea.”
Science instructor Rich Piper of Union Star High School will have a variety of interactive experiments and and make-it and take-it science projects. Other activities will include a room-size “Math Maze,” ongoing and interactive experiments presented by Missouri Western State University Chemistry professors, shows in Bushman Planetarium and Casey’s Creatures.
Reno said the activities are geared toward third, fourth and fifth grade students.
“When we started 17 years ago, we decided third, fourth and fifth was the audience we really wanted to get excited about math and science and get them thinking about it in terms of studying it throughout their lives and possibly even seeing it as a career option,” Reno said.
Super Science Saturday takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, January 27th at the Remington/Agenstein Hall on the Missouri Western State University campus. The cost is $3 for students and adults. Parking is free.
For more information, call (816) 232-8471 or click here.
According to St. Joseph Police Chief Chris Connally, there were some encouraging results regarding decreases in certain crime numbers over the past year.
Connally said in December, auto theft numbers for the month were the lowest in the last 12 months.
“It’s good news if we can keep that trend going down,” Connally said. “I know when it comes to auto thefts, we’re still seeing some of the similar patterns. The first two weeks there were, I believe, about 10 auto thefts and of those 10, about five of them, the keys were in the car with the car running, about four of them were taken from a family member or acquaintance. So we’re still seeing a lot falling into that category.”
Aggravated assaults were up with 47 percent being domestic related and two-thirds of the total assaults being domestic related. Connally said thefts from vehicles increased significantly and homicide numbers increased.
“That was one of our highest years. Some of those were domestic related, some of them are not,” Connally said. “Those are probably the most difficult thing from a prevention standpoint. That’s also concerning. But anytime you talk about numbers, there’s a corresponding victim with those numbers, so I don’t want anything we say to be taken lightly.”
Connally said for the third straight year, burglaries are down. Reported rapes were down and robberies and shoplifting were down slightly.
A full analysis of the year will be completed soon.
Coleman Elementary School Principal Heather Gladhart was awarded the 2018 Drum Major for Justice Award. Photo courtesy St. Joseph School District.
A St. Joseph School District principal has received an award for her commitment to social justice and multicultural education.
According to a press release, Missouri Western State University presented the 2018 Drum Major for Justice Award to Coleman Elementary School Principal Heather Gladhart during an event earlier this week.
As previously reported, Missouri Western accepts nominations and gives the award to citizens who live ordinary lives but do extraordinary acts of service. The award is presented to one student, one member of the St. Joseph community and a Missouri Western employee.
Gladhart was nominated by Ellen Kisker for the work she has done at Coleman to develop the multicultural program and event at the school, which includes students from 24 countries.
“All the students attending Coleman Elementary have some form of activity where they learn about the students from other countries,” Kisker said. “They are taught civility and respect toward others. They are taught that unity, or working together, makes our community better and stronger.”
Kisker noted that Gladhart goes above and beyond in her work to connect with students and their parents.
“This award really belongs to all the staff at Coleman for the work that they do each day to ensure that all students feel welcome in our school, no matter their race or nationality,” Gladhart said. “Our diverse population is one of the things that I love most about our school. Together, we can help our students and community see the good in each other, to embrace our differences and be the change.”
(Missourinet) – State officials said Missouri pitched a bold, innovative, and practical proposal to retail giant Amazon to build its future second headquarters in the Show-Me State.
According to documents obtained by Missourinet from the state Department of Economic Development, Missouri put up to $2.4 billion over ten years on the line in mostly tax incentives to woo Amazon here. St. Louis and Kansas City offered their own proposals and the state’s was meant to work in harmony with the other two.
Missouri’s bid apparently wasn’t bold enough for Amazon. Missouri, Kansas City and St. Louis did not make the final cut of 20 cities seeking to clinch the top prize. Respectfully, more than 200 cities were originally in the running. At stake was the creation of 50,000 new jobs and a $5 billion investment by Amazon that has drawn interest from cities all over North America. New Jersey has reportedly offered $7 billion over 10-20 years.
Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon is keeping a positive outlook.
“We spoke directly with Amazon officials earlier Wednesday, and their feedback on the Missouri proposal was incredibly positive. We may not have made the final cut, but they definitely took notice of our pitch. We collaborated across the state and we showed, not just Amazon, but the world that Missouri is innovative and willing to take on bold new ideas. That’s something every Missourian should be proud of,” Dixon tells Missourinet.
In addition to the statewide proposal that was sent to Amazon, Dixon says Missouri also provided a state incentives package that was included as part of the St. Louis and Kansas City proposals.
“If Amazon were to choose either city, those packages would have required legislative approval,” says Dixon.
Missouri’s pitch included an innovation corridor that would have linked St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City and a high-speed tube-like transportation network, such as Hyperloop. The futuristic mode of transportation would get people from Kansas City to St. Louis in 31 minutes, with a pitstop in Columbia.
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, says losing the Amazon deal could lead to other valuable opportunities.
“The thing that I’ve learned on economic development is, once you put you best foot forward, even though you don’t get the deal, there’s always a deal behind the deal that some other entity is going to say ‘Man that was a really fine presentation of those two cities. Maybe we could go there.’ That’s how we had Ford and we tried to get Bombardier years ago,” says Richard.
He goes on to say Missouri can’t win them all.
“Those are deals that happen once every 100 years. 50,000 people. We would have had to have people coming in from 300 miles away to fill that. We need to do a lot of things to get ready for those mega projects,” says Richard.
Amazon has whittled down the list to include Atlanta, Austin, Texas; Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio. It also listed northern Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland as potential sites.
Click here to view the State of Missouri’s entire proposal.
Warmer weather has arrived with several days with above normal temperatures. Clouds will increase for the weekend, with chances of rain on Sunday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 50. South winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 30s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. South winds around 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Areas of fog. Lows in the mid 30s. Light and variable winds.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Areas of fog in the morning. Chance of drizzle through the day. Highs in the lower 50s. South winds around 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. Chance of rain showers…drizzle in the evening, then a chance of rain showers and snow showers after midnight. Lows in the lower 30s. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
Monday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain showers and snow showers. Colder. Highs in the upper 30s. Temperatures steady in the afternoon.
Monday Night And Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s. Highs in the upper 30s.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 20s.
Wednesday Through Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40s. Lows 22 to 28.
Several St. Joseph residents spoke at the city council meeting this week to urge council members to consider regulations on tethering pets.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, residents brought up their concerns about pets being left outside for long periods of time in extreme temperatures without proper shelter, the need for regulation of tethering and enforcement of regulation and the need for animal safety education.
With public input and ideas, City Manager Bruce Woody said there are multiple things under consideration for restrictions regarding tethering or chaining of animals.
“Not allowing an animal to be tethered unless there is an adult at home… not letting the animal be tethered between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., mainly overnight, not tethering a dog that’s less than six months of age,” Woody said. “The tether itself must be designed for animals… shouldn’t weigh more than about one-eighth of the dogs body weight… animals should be placed where the animal cannot be in danger of being strangled or hung, you don’t want to have a pet that’s on a chain where they can jump over a fence and then get hung by the fence because they can’t reach the ground. Tethered animals… shouldn’t be out in extreme weather conditions.”
There are several more proposals up for debate as the city council considers regulations. Woody said they are considering writing up a draft of an ordinance and putting it online for public comment sometime in the near future.
This week’s city council meeting can be viewed online.
Warm weather (highs above freezing) arrives today. Breezy south to southwest winds over the next couple of days will help lift temperatures out of the frigid basement that they have been wallowing in for the past several days. Expect afternoon highs to poke above freezing by this afternoon, though the melting snow will likely blunt today’s warm up a little. Expect even warmer temperatures to prevail as we move into and through the weekend, with a chance of rain arriving Sunday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 38. South southwest wind 6 to 11 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. South southwest wind around 8 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 48. South southwest wind 7 to 11 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. South southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Patchy drizzle after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. South southwest wind around 7 mph.
Saturday Night: A slight chance of rain after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday: A chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday Night: A chance of rain showers before 4 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., then a chance of snow showers after 5 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Monday: A chance of rain and snow showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.
ST. JOSEPH, MO. (Mustangs Press Release) – The St. Joseph Mustangs have finalized the 2018 schedule, marking ten years in St. Joseph.
The five-time and defending MINK League Champion Mustangs are set to kick off their 10th season on Wednesday, May 30th against the Midwest A’s. Last season’s inaugural game set an Opening Day record for attendance with 4,889 fans and a 9-1 win over the A’s.
“We’re excited to celebrate ten wonderful years in St. Joe, with more to come,” Mustangs General Manager Ky Turner said. “Opening Day has almost become a holiday in St. Joe, and we’re planning some fun events for May 30th. We love our community here. We’re excited to open the gates here at the ballpark for our Mustangs family.”
The Mustangs finished last season 9th nationally in attendance, as Phil Welch Stadium hosted an average of 2,257 fans per game.
Notable games this season include July 3rd against Team USA Military Baseball and July 4th against MINK North opponent the Sedalia Bombers. The final two weeks of the season will feature inter-conference battles as the Mustangs host Clarinda, Chillicothe, and Sedalia to finish the 2018 regular season home schedule.The remainder of the schedule sees the Mustangs home for most weekends in 2018.
“We’re bringing some new surprises to Phil Welch,” Turner said, “but we are also returning some of our fan favorites. One fan favorite we’re bringing back is Team USA Military Baseball on July 3rd. That game will feature a special ceremony honoring our local military members, but we’re also going to host the American Fallen Soldiers Project to honor a family that day.”
The Mustangs will release a full promotional schedule for 2018 at a later date. Manager Johnny Coy will look to lead the Mustangs in his first season to a 6th MINK League Championship in the past 8 seasons.
Click the links below to view the entire 2018 Mustangs’ schedule.
A cold front will continue to usher in cooler air today, with temperatures steady or slowly falling through the day. Rain will return to most areas later this morning into the afternoon. A wintry mix will be possible late this afternoon, especially across northwest Missouri. Little to no snowfall accumulation is expected. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service: 
